My DH built me a rotating composter a few weeks ago and I just got around to filing it up this weekend. I put about half leaves, half grass, some mud and some misc. compost materials I had in a pile (coffee grounds, egg shells, veggie peelings, etc). Now what? I turned it several times to mix it all together. Should I wet it with the hose? how often? How often do I turn it?
rotating composter
The raw materials should be about as moist as a wrung-out sponge. I don't think there's any hard-and-fast rule about turning frequency for a compost tumbler, so I'd guess that a couple of times a week would probably be enough.
I don't think that you can turn a compost pile too much, so I'd suggest turning it whenever you can ... even daily. The only problem with a single rotating bin is that whenever you're tempted to add new raw materials, you reset the compost clock to day 1. So, maybe your DH can build you a second one ... that way, you'll be able to leave one to cook, while adding fresh materials to the "work in process" bin. While he's at it, a screen door made from 1/2" chicken wire makes a wonderful sifter, especially if you can park a cart under the bin and sift material into the cart.